Dead Reckoning
by Meg2
Summary: A sequel to "Dead Accord" Spoilers for all eight books, the short story "Gift Wrap", first chapter of "Dead and Gone" and from synopsis of "Dead and Gone" on major bookseller websites.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- this story is a short sequel to follow _Dead Accord_. (Please note- This is _not _part of the "Irish" series.)

The characters of the Sookieverse are the creation of Charlaine Harris. I hope she doesn't mind my borrowing them for a few hours.

**Dead Reckoning**

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_**dead reckoning**__ n._ _the process of calculating one's position by estimating the direction and distance traveled rather than by using landmarks, astronomical observations, or electronic navigation methods. Origins: Late Elizabethan/Early Stuart period, English (1605–1615)._

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"Kill him… Take him out on the terrace so you don't leave a mess in here. Take her to my quarters. I'll deal with her later. You my dear, will have the honor of being bound to a King."

It was a rare moment in my life where I felt that, for once, I saw something coming and was perfectly prepared...

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**I.**

It was early in the evening of March 2nd. The sun had just gone down a short time ago. I rode with Bill to the Shreveport airport. We didn't talk much at all. Things were still awkward between us. But we were easier with the silence than we used to be. Eric and Thalia met us there. Pam drove them and had waited to see me and to loan me her jewelry. I was glad it was a flight that we could take at night, without the issue of the vampires being in coffins. Frankly, given how tense Eric, Pam, Bill and Thalia, were, I would have had the feeling that we would to arrive in Vegas and I'd open Eric's coffin and find ashes and a stake. Walking into Felipe's hotel seemed infinitely preferable, since at least there was a chance of self-defense.

Eric had lectured me sternly that I was not supposed to talk to Bill and Thalia about my knowledge of any of the problems with Felipe. While he thought Bill might be accepting that I knew some of what was going on, he said Thalia would probably not like it much at all. I knew from my own history with Bill that he would like it far less than Eric believed. Eric had always been much more open and up front with me than Bill had ever been. Eric told me that Pam knew that I knew most of what was going on with respect to Felipe. He did not think it was as hard for Pam to accept my knowing details but said that for any of his other vampires, it might be difficult for them to trust a human, even a bonded human bonded to him, with too much information. Now was definitely not the time to argue with anyone sworn to him about his choices in trusting me. Any argument or even a discussion of his decision-making would further threaten his position. So I had to keep quiet. But I was used to keeping secrets. A telepath always is.

While we waited to board the plane, I stood chatting a bit with Thalia, who was wearing a beautiful bronze silk dress. Even in three inch heels she was so tiny, but so beautiful and exotic looking. I felt plain and vanilla in comparison, since I was just wearing black slacks and a red sweater with black pumps and I didn't feel the least bit exotic. Thalia seemed so much happier these days. It seemed that the entire experience of fighting Dieter's fae group had brought about some revitalization in her. She was happy to be going to Vegas to provide additional security. Eric seemed pleased to have uncovered Thalia's real nature. She wasn't just the rude Fangtasia vampire worshipped on a fan website. She was very sharp and could be truly ruthless, both skills that Eric seemed to admire. She was also fairly nice with me, which was a high compliment considering that Thalia really seemed to dislike humans quite a bit. It seemed she thought I was quite worthwhile and not just potential food, at least according to what Pam told me. While we chatted Thalia kept looking at my chest. Finally she reached up and touched the locket underneath the sweater. The locket pulsed slightly under my sweater. I felt it, and it seemed like she felt it, too.

"What is that? What is that under your shirt?"

"Um, it's just a locket, Thalia."

"I would like to see it, please" she said meeting my eyes intensely. It was a polite demand.

Eric was off with Bill discussing something several meters away. I didn't know what to do, but since Eric had said I shouldn't argue with them, I just took it out and let it rest on top of my sweater. Thalia gasped.

"Where did you get such a thing? That is a highly magical object, Sookie." She looked up at me curiously, arms crossed. "Where did you get it?" she said leaning forward toward me.

I was scrambling for what to say. When I'd been kidnapped _some_ of Eric's vampires had been privy to the fact that I was really actually Niall's great-granddaughter but I'd been too thick to ask _which_ ones. How much did the Area 5 vampires who fought in the Magnolia compound actually know? Was it just Bill and Pam? Thalia had been hanging out a lot with Pam and Eric. I was so uncertain as to how to reply.

"Well, it's a family piece, sort of like an heirloom."

Thalia leaned closer and said in a low voice, "So this is from your Fae family? Really? Oh, I see, the 'B', yes. What does it do? Because that," she said pointing to it, "_is_ magic."

"I was mostly focused on how pretty it is." I felt tense and hoped that if I was evasive she'd just stop asking. Maybe the dumb blonde barmaid routine would keep me safe on that account?

Thalia looked up at me with narrowed eyes as if she was definitely long since onto the fact that I was just _not_ that simple. She reached out to touch it and to my amazement, in contrast to what happened when Eric touched it, it seemed to want to repel her. It glowed a bit and almost felt like it pulsed. I felt like I'd gotten a tiny shock from static electricity and I jumped, making a little gasp. I knew she must have felt the same shock. She withdrew her hand quickly and looked at me with her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Interesting. _It_ does not seem to want to be touched. Alright, Sookie. I see that perhaps you do not wish to discuss this."

Damn right, I thought to myself. I wondered why Eric and Thalia had been able to sense it but not Bill. I glanced over at Bill and Eric, who were still deep in discussion. I wondered if Bill getting so badly injured had affected his senses. Or maybe older vampires with experience with the Fae could sense the locket's magic? Thalia was as old as Eric. Maybe even older. I had to try to ask Eric privately what he thought. Niall said I should wear the locket at all times, especially on this trip, but it was going to be very awkward if people kept asking about it. The two very dressy dresses I was taking had low necklines that would make it difficult to hide the locket.

As we boarded the flight, I shivered. Eric looked at me with concern once we were in the seats. I was holding his hand tightly. He reached over and took my other hand too, for a moment.

"You're hands are so cold. Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"

"I'm just tense," I said, my voice sounding tight.

He put his arm around me and pulled me to him, kissing my temple.

"We'll be fine, Lover" he whispered softly to me.

I had been pretty happy the night before. Baking an apple pie, at ease, sure that everything was fine and that it would stay fine. Right up until the conversation before Eric left to go back to Shreveport. I'd been apprehensive about the trip for a while. But after the raid on Dieter's compound, it seemed that Eric's King had taken issue with the fact that Eric could mount such a fight on his own and win. Niall's help was really not something that would have leaked out, other than through Rasul talking to Victor Madden. And Thalia had taken care of Rasul. So everyone pretty much thought that Eric and some of his Area 5 group had raided a compound in a neighboring state without permission, rescued me, killed about twenty-five Fae and a bunch of weres and Weres. All of their own. This left Eric looking like a force to be reckoned with, and that was not a good thing to a micromanaging King who lived four states away. It occurred to me, as I found myself getting more and more familiar with Eric's style, that one of his main strategies was to always use the least possible show of power or strength to get any job done. That way it was very hard for someone to get his measure. Fighting Dieter had been a grand display of power. It had been a risk, and now the consequences were becoming evident.

Clearly, I had no idea how bad things were. When Eric dropped his backup plan in my lap before cruising back to Shreveport at 1 am, I was rocked by it. I couldn't shake the feeling that this trip could spell disaster. Frankly, since Eric had first told me about the Vegas trip back in January, I hated the idea. It was now the beginning of March and I still hated the idea but for new reasons. I could be at home, getting back to work, getting back to my normal life. Well, as normal a life as a girl has when she dates a vampire, but still, normal for me. And it was ironic that after I was so bent out of shape about having to go on this trip and share a room with Eric only a month ago (could it really only be a month ago?) that now I would like the idea of a trip with Eric if it were just about any trip other than this one.

I thought back to Pam hugging me at the airport, before we went through the security check. She had pressed the small case of jewelry she was loaning me into my hands, looking at me with serious concern. I almost got the feeling that now she was not just worried about Eric, but that she was worried about me, too. Whispering, "Please, be safe. Be very careful. Listen to Eric and _don't argue,_ Sookie. Promise me that you'll listen to Eric" The look in her eyes… I promised her. With the whole business of Dieter fresh in my mind, yes, I would listen to Eric. My willful side had been taken down a notch.

As we flew through the thin clouds and I saw the lights from the Dallas-Ft. Worth below, I thought back to the conversation I'd had with Eric the night before, right before he left to go back to Shreveport. The backup plan, in case something happened to him. Thalia would get me out and then I should bind myself to Pam… Which would imply he'd be finally dead, of course. Suddenly, I'd realized in that moment that I didn't know how bad things really were, even with what Eric had shared with me. Clearly, I did not grasp the extent of the problems and this was why Pam had been so much on edge ever since we all got back from Magnolia. Eric always seemed so indomitable. But he was rather sober in telling me his plan. _Why_ did we need a backup plan, I'd asked? I'd started crying, which succeeded only in upsetting him and making me embarrassed with myself. But he told me that he always had a backup plan for things, sometimes even several, though he seldom needed to employ them. Pam had agreed to do it. She would keep me safe, he said. He was sure of it. No matter what, Pam would take care of me. If I was bound, I would always be safer.

Well, I had a plan of my own. A fail-safe plan in case it all went wrong. I steeled myself with that thought. _We_ would be safe. No matter what, _we_ would be safe, I told myself.


	2. Chapter 2

**II.**

After changing planes in Dallas-Ft. Worth, we arrived in Las Vegas shortly before 1 am. The limousine, designated for Area 5 vampires, that took us to the hotel was stocked with True Blood. Plus it was thoughtfully stocked with several scantily clad female donors. I tried not to think of things in terms that were defined by provincialism, a word from some time in the February calendar, but which day I forgot, because I was too busy _being_ that word. It was hard not to be. I was from a small town, had had a conservative upbringing and wasn't used to the idea of blood and sex gifts waiting in long black cars. Bill looked hungry and Thalia did as well. And they hadn't even known Thalia was coming. So the snacks were for Bill, and for Eric even though I was there? I just buried myself at Eric's side and looked away. I guess he could sense the fact that I was well out of my comfort zone. He put his arm around me and seemed to regard Bill, in particular, with a long stare that made it clear that he was to wait. I was very sure that had I not been in that car that there would have been all kinds of sex and feeding. Would even Eric be indulging I couldn't help but wonder? When he'd talked about fidelity he'd only really addressed _mine,_ I now realized. Maybe the personal side of sex mattered less and less after hundreds of years but frankly, I thought, it kind of missed the entire point of the whole thing to have sex be impersonal. Of course, that was just my take on it, and I was only a human. It was a car ride like this that could just affirm my belief that I would _never_ want to be a vampire. And it made me wonder what I'd agreed to in this relationship.

The hotel, Aztec Nights, was an oddly shaped giant pyramid with a square at the top instead of reaching a point. It was absolutely huge, much larger than the Luxor, which we had passed only moments before. Bill saw my interest and pointed out, after shifting one of the women off himself just slightly, that it was an Aztec pyramid and modeled after the Aztec Giant Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico, which was much larger than the Egyptian pyramid of Giza. Given my memories of Rhodes and its version of the Giza pyramid, I did not feel much at ease as we drove into the dramatic porte cochère near the entrance. We checked in and after exchanging the room number info with Bill and Thalia, we headed upstairs to our room. They lingered in the lobby and it was obvious that their snacks from the limo were headed upstairs with them after Eric and I were out of the way.

The entire 11th floor was a vampire floor, with the windows made of that dark opaque glass that keeps the sun out. You had to use your keycard in the elevator to get to the vampire floors, which were odd the numbered floors, along with offering a hand scan to match the fingerprints and palmprint that you gave at check in. We were in room 1120. It was a very spacious suite at the end of the hall, comprising a whole corner of the floor. The bedroom was rather interestingly decorated. There were mirrors everywhere. Even on the ceiling. There was a huge sunken bathtub with whirlpool jets. A glass shower stall that occupied an entire wall and had a seating area. Eric seemed completely delighted. I was rolling my eyes but couldn't help but smile at how happy he looked.

After tipping the bellhop, Eric started turning over furniture and examining every fixture in the room. I started to ask why but he put a finger to his lips. Then I realized his was looking to see if the room had been bugged. Sure enough, to my complete amazement, he found that there were several small microphones located in the lighting fixtures. He withdrew a penknife from his suitcase and cut the wires but left the devices in place. He gave the bedroom an even more thorough going over and I was shocked to find that not only did he find two more microphones, he found hidden _cameras_ in the bedroom and bathroom. I was now totally freaked out and after he was done sweeping the bathroom he found me sitting on the loveseat in the bedroom clasping my legs to my chest, chin on knees, eyes wide.

"I think I got them all. We'll have to look every day though because they'll probably replace them when we're out at night," he said very quietly.

I looked up at him like I thought he was a crazy man. "Can't we just go stay somewhere else? Please? Across the street at the Mandalay Bay?" I asked in a whisper.

Eric looked at me like I had to be kidding. "It's _fine _Sookie. This has happened to me many times before. It happened in Rhodes because of the whole thing with Sophie-Anne's trial. All of the Louisiana Sheriffs's rooms were bugged. Trust me. It happens all the time," he whispered back to me.

I closed my eyes and tried to compose myself. I had been through _much_ worse. And very recently. Like a week ago. So why was it so upsetting to me, I asked myself? Because it wasn't like I thought I'd be relaxing and just having fun being away with Eric. I knew he thought the trip was going to be at least part fun when he planned to stay two extra days back at the beginning of February. Of course that was a month before the whole Magnolia raid that now had Felipe out to get him. This trip was shaping up in my mind to be a fiasco from the moment we got off the plane and got in that limo. Hidden microphones and cameras only added to that sense.

The bellmen delivered Eric's coffin to the room. There was an open area in the bedroom that I guess was left empty with coffin placement in mind. It was all so odd, I thought to myself, living with a vampire. I guess it was like getting used to any other culture. Except for the occasional snack food gifts, who looked not too different from me. I rose from the loveseat and moved to the bed, closer to the coffin. Eric opened it and checked everything out to make sure that nothing had been altered. It was lined with deep crimson red silk satin. I noted that there was a latching mechanism inside so that he could lock himself into it.

Once he'd finished with the coffin, he sat next to me on the bed. He paused for a moment as if straining to hear something. He closed his eyes and then turned to one of the sconces on the wall. He rose to explore it and found yet another microphone.

"I can hear them sometimes, a high pitched frequency, I think from a bit of feedback. The cameras recording… that's really loud. I think I should have you go out of the room so I can be sure it's really totally silent," he said in a whisper, after he'd cut the wire on that one, too.

I looked at him and shook my head. "I don't know how you can live like this. I really don't."

He smiled wryly and said, "I _don't_ live like this, Sookie. This is just politics and business. It's just for a few days. Pretend it's a spy movie. This is not a big deal."

I gave him a dark look. I rose and took my keycard out of my purse and then went out of the room. I walked up and down the hallway for several minutes trying to work off my nervous energy. As I walked down toward the elevator for a third time, I was surprised to see Victor Madden step out of the elevator and start walking down the hall, toward me. I resisted the desire to press against a wall or to duck into a doorway to try to avoid him. It wouldn't have worked anyway, he'd seen me and could surely smell me. He approached me and bowed to me, then moved a step closer.

"Why, Miss Stackhouse! Fancy meeting you here… And without Eric Northman. He _is_ treating you shabbily, leaving you all on your own." He smiled with sparkling brown eyes and perfect teeth, with his fangs ever so slightly descended. He was dressed in a well-cut charcoal gray suit with a butter yellow shirt and a very sharp looking tie. A yellow silk pocket handkerchief was in his jacket pocket. He is really what Jane Austen called a fop, I said to myself.

"Mr. Madden," I nodded cautiously. I didn't know whether to keep moving or not. He kept talking, however.

His eyes moved over me slowly and his thoughts were totally transparent even if you weren't a vampire mind reader. "You are looking very well after your ordeal. In fact, you're looking delightful." More smiles.

In my heels I was only slightly shorter than he was and he looked me straight in the eyes. He really was quite an attractive looking man and he seemed to know it. He already knew he couldn't glamour me, but that didn't stop him being right in my face, maybe to give it a second try. He always managed to stand too close to me for my comfort. Today, however, something about him just made my flesh crawl. Maybe it was the way he looked at me. I wouldn't trust this man with anything, ever, I thought to myself. I still remembered his lying to Eric that night of the takeover about the number of vampires he had outside my house. He'd lied as if it was absolutely natural to him. Anyone that could lie that easily was someone to give a wide berth, in my eyes.

"Thank you. Well, have a good evening, Mr. Madden," I said and then started walking toward the elevators.

"Miss Stackhouse, perhaps I should escort you. I would really feel terrible if something happened to you on account of your being alone."

I stiffened. "That really won't be necessary," I said, glancing back and trying to be polite but firm. "And what could happen to me here? Nothing. Quite safe."

In spite of my wishes, he stepped to my side within the blink of an eye and hooked his arm around mine and smiled in a cordial fashion. I had the oddest sense of his trying to set me at ease the same way you would try to lure a shy animal into a trap. I just wanted to get away from him.

"Oh my goodness… you know, I just realized I forgot my cell phone in the room. I'm expecting a call from my roommate. I should go get it." I didn't even care if he thought I was making it up, which of course I was. I disengaged myself from him and started to walk back to the room. He again followed swiftly after me, much to my chagrin.

When I got to room 1120 I had my keycard out of my pocket, ready to let myself into the room. He suddenly snatched it from my hands and said,

"Allow me. I should check that your room is secure."

I was incredulous at his presumptuousness.

As he opened the door, Eric was heading toward it saying, "Good timing. I was just coming to get you…" when he looked down at Victor Madden instead of me. His eyes scanned beyond Madden to me and I widened my eyes and shrugged as if to say, "What could I do?"

"Madden. What a surprise to find you entering my room with a key," Eric said with a very cold voice.

Victor Madden turned and handed me the key and said acerbically "I was merely assisting the lovely creature that you so foolishly left on her own in the halls, Eric. I wanted to be sure the room was secure for her. She said she forgot her phone. I didn't realize you were here."

Eric looked down at him with eyes practically glowing, arms crossed. "Oh, I'm _sure_ you didn't…"

"You really shouldn't leave her on her own. If you are too busy to show her around the hotel, I would be delighted to do so."

"Thank you but…" I started to say, but was cut off by Eric saying,

"You are more than welcome to show _both_ of us around, Victor." The look on his face as he said it…

"Well, of course, old sport. De-_lighted_ to do so," Victor said with a canny smile.

I was so not delighted. It was 2 am in the morning. I was tired, grossed out by limo fast food and sex snacks, stressed out about the potential lack of privacy in our room, and now Eric was making us play along with whatever Victor Madden's weird game was.

"If we're going downstairs I want to change clothes," I said to them both.

Eric nodded and moved aside so I could sweep past Victor and head off to the bedroom.

Back in the bedroom I opened my suitcase and took out a v-necked blouse. Then I thought better of that because of the locket. I could wear that top during the day, thought to myself, because probably none of the weres or others around during the day will be able to sense that the locket was unusual. I pulled out a taupe cowl necked sweater and a pair of indigo jeans. Then I decided to take out all the clothes and put them in drawers. I also took out all the garment bag items and hung them up in the closet. I looked at Eric's still unpacked bags but wasn't sure how he'd feel if I put his things away. I was just trying to kill time but decided not to do his bags without asking. I looked around the room again and reluctantly changed into the sweater and jeans. The number of mirrors in the room was overwhelming. This room was like a sex den, I thought to myself. All these mirrors and the sunken tub… But the idea that someone put cameras in here was just beyond creepy. I knew Eric had probably gotten rid of everything and was still probably thrilled with the room. But to me, it felt about as romantic and private as I envisioned a high security jail cell would be. I would have given anything to go home. No luck.

Eric popped his head around the door and said, "Are you ready?"

I gave him a sad and wan look, then nodded.

Eric took my hand as we left the room, stroking it gently as we rode the elevator downstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**III.**

Felipe de Castro's Aztec Nights Hotel and Casino was packed on the casino level, which was one floor below the lobby. I was amazed at just how crowded it was and it was a workday night. The casino was a solid wave of humanity the likes of which I had never encountered in all my life. It was like being at the State Fair, but with added fervor. It was overwhelming and fascinating, deafening and daunting. Lots of people who gamble in casinos are rather obsessed. They murmur endless justifications and hopes and prayers and curses and self-abuse and abuse of others while they gamble. They broadcast these thoughts loudly or softly, but always strongly. So many individual voices crashing against me. I was sure there were many vampires and many weres here, but all I could hear or think were the ceaseless human thoughts. I closed my eyes and my hand flew to my temple for a moment as I tried to block it all out. Eric immediately stopped walking as if he sensed my problem.

"Are you okay? Is it too much noise? We can skip this and go somewhere else," he said softly to me, putting his arm around me.

I opened my eyes to look up at him but was distracted by Victor, who appeared fascinated by my reaction. He stood too close, as usual, to ask,

"Can you hear them all?" with interest. He smiled with his eyes expressing curiosity.

I paused for a moment, regrouped mentally, drew a deep breath, and then said, "It's fine. I'm fine." Mostly… I thought to myself. I'd be a lot more fine if Victor left us alone, for instance.

Eric walked slowly, keeping his arm around me while Victor showed us around the casino. I paused briefly at a blackjack table, looking at the game, but more specifically at the dealer, an older oriental man. He was a very loud broadcaster, even in the din of the casino. I watched a few rounds. Victor offered to buy me into the game but I declined. The dealer met my eyes and then he glanced down nervously. I thought at first that it was Eric who made him nervous, since he was so tall and obviously a vampire. But no I saw, it was really _me_ making him uncomfortable. He clearly knew I could hear his thoughts. I felt him glance after me as we moved away. I gradually became aware of some people on the floor who were not there as tourists or gamblers at all. Felipe's own undercover security people, the occasional Gaming Commission or Control Board person, undercover agents from the local human Sheriff's office. It was like a little microcosm of society and, law enforcement and governance. The number of voices, on top of all the noise of the slot machines, the roulette tables and some of the other games was dizzying, however.

Victor led us outside and up stone steps onto a plaza with huge fountains with a colorful light display illuminating the water. We could see the nearby Luxor hotel, with its strong spotlight, like a beacon in the night sky. Victor stepped close to me again and, with an unwelcome hand on my shoulder, pointed out the towers of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino further up the road. It was a sister property to the Mandalay Bay and Luxor, he said. I looked longingly at the Mandalay Bay Resort across the street from our hotel and thought that their rooms were probably bug-, camera- and Victor Madden-free. Then he pointed out the Tropicana, which was on the same side of the strip as the Aztec Nights, and further up the road, the MGM Grand. Eric still held my hand and though I stiffened when Victor touched my shoulder, Eric stroked my hand reassuringly and sent me warm feelings. Maybe if I reacted badly, I'd just be giving him more to annoy me, or Eric, with. It seemed like Victor and Eric were engaged in some sort of peculiar game in which each was trying to get the measure of some boundary. I didn't like feeling I was part of the boundary.

Victor then lead us up to a club area off of the mezzanine, called Mictlan, that was about three times larger than Fangtasia and packed with vampires and fangbangers. Victor explained that Mictlan was the Aztec underworld. Bill was already downstairs stalking more blood, I noted. He must have been pretty hungry in Bon Temps since they'd only brought him back on Tuesday night and he'd probably not fed significantly since the Friday of the raid on Dieter's compound. As much as the idea of going from donor to donor and whatever else was involved grossed me out, I really couldn't look at it begrudgingly. He'd almost bled out trying to help rescue me and put down a plot to make war on the vampires of our state, I reminded myself. Eric had told me it could be years before a vampire would be back to full strength after losing that much blood. Clancy still wasn't full strength after being drained by Hallow's crew over a year ago and he had an almost endless supply of prospective donors at Fangtasia. Living in Bon Temps would make it harder for Bill to restore himself.

Mictlan had private rooms off at the back and Victor walked us back there. I didn't even want to ask what clubs had private rooms for… But then it was really obvious from the sounds emanating from them what their purpose was. As we walked by we saw a vampire go into one of the rooms with a man and a woman practically draped over him. They weren't drunk, though, they were glamoured. Victor asked Eric if he was interested and Eric declined politely but then looked at me shaking his head as Victor walked on in front of us. He put his arm back around me as we walked. I found myself wondering if Fangtasia had private rooms. Somehow, I had a feeling that it did and that little point had just not been on my radar in the times I'd been there.

We then looked around the ballroom areas where the festivities celebrating Felipe's takeover of Louisiana and Arkansas would take place on Friday and Saturday nights. The festivities were being handled by E(E)E, which must, I thought, be scrambling without Quinn at the head. Big vampire events had been one of his specialties. Celebrating the murder of Sophie-Anne was how _I _continued to view Felipe's big fête. In the internal argument with myself about Sophie-Anne sending Bill to check me out and seduce me, Sophie-Anne always still came out okay and Bill always lost out for not coming clean. She had not wished me any harm. And I liked her, I thought to myself. My cousin Hadley had really loved her. And, really, I think she loved Hadley. I liked the fact that among vampires I had known, only Sophie-Anne could wear her attachment to either her children or her humans, with such panache. She was really comfortable letting her regard show. Even Eric was still uncomfortable with his attachment to me. Part of me thought he was just waiting for the day he could turn me and get the whole human part of me out of the way. Sophie-Anne had turned Hadley, but then she had gone and made one of those vampire hierarchical marriages with Peter Threadgill, the King of Arkansas. I, myself, had seen in an ectoplasmic reconstruction Amelia had done just how broken-hearted Hadley had been, even though I guess she knew that Sophie-Anne loved her. Since she had died shortly thereafter, Hadley had no way of knowing what a disaster that marriage was. But anyway, I would not be planning to make any similar mistakes. One short human life with all its heartaches would suit me just fine, thank you. I really wouldn't enjoy _eternity_ with life's heartaches. Imagine being turned by someone you loved and then feeling sort of cast aside that way, I thought to myself? Still, I could not feel anything other than sorrow over Sophie-Anne's sad end. I know Eric thought her very devious, but she had actually been kind to me once she had actually met me. Once she even apologized to me, and forced her second, Andre to as well, which I had to say, was pretty unusual to think of a vampire queen doing.

As we left the club, Eric thanked Victor and said that we were going back up stairs, commenting that we were both tired and hungry. Victor's eyes very unsubtly traced my throat and downwards at that comment and I felt a new wave of flesh crawling revulsion. It was a good thing I'd worked in a bar so many years. As we waited for the elevator to go upstairs, I sensed Victor looking at the point under my sweater where the locket rested. I thought I had sensed him glancing at the area several times earlier. When the elevator arrived we nodded our thanks and said good night, since he planned to return to the club.

Since the elevator was empty, I took advantage of the moment to ask Eric why it seemed some people could sense the locket Niall had given me.

"A older vampire might be more likely to sense magic, having seen more of it. You'll need to be careful if you intend to keep wearing it here. You're going to get questions about it that will be difficult to answer."

I sensed he still didn't like it or trust that the locket wasn't somehow influencing me. I could understand his distrust of Niall. But this was one thing that I was quite certain about, where my family was concerned. I had learned more about my fae family in that afternoon than in all the previous months I'd known Niall. Some things I could tell and some things I couldn't. What I couldn't share was proscribed by a kind of magical limit that Niall told me was called a geas. It was like a boundary I could sense, which would prevent me from revealing too much to anyone. He cautioned me that other geasa had serious consequences but the one he bestowed on me was merely benevolent, as a way to safeguard me, and information I received. If only there was a way to dampen down the locket's magic like that I thought…

When we got back to the room, Eric stopped just inside the door of each room and seemed to evaluate whether anything had been shifted in the room. Then he checked out all the fixtures and furniture again but didn't find anything new or anything repaired on the spy equipment issue.

He came and sat next to me on the couch, where I was sitting while watching him search around the room.

"You look pretty unhappy," he commented.

I let out a heavy sigh. "I hate that our room was bugged. I hate the idea of anyone _celebrating_ that Sophie-Anne is dead. Basically, I hate this entire trip. I hate everything about it, except you."

He pushed the hair away from my face and neck and stroked my neck softly. Then he leaned over and kissed my neck. I shivered, closing my eyes. But for some reason I couldn't help pulling ever so slightly away. He leaned closer. "What else, my Lover?" he said softly, so close to my ear.

"Sometimes, I look at the whole vampire lifestyle and I just… I think I'm just being stupid and naïve," I said quietly.

He pulled back from me and looked me. He touched my chin and turned my face to him gently. "Why? Why would you feel that way? Is this about the limo? Victor in the club?"

I turned my face away from him. What could I say? The truth was I was afraid he was going to get bored with me just like Bill did. And Bill had gotten bored pretty quickly. Eric had made it sound as if the bond would make us want to stick together, but when I looked at the vampire lifestyle, it just didn't seem as if it was geared toward real relationships, at least not with humans, at all. Their only relationships were with each other and most of those were based on power and control. Yesterday I'd felt so happy, at least until our conversation about whether Felipe basically might try to kill him. And today? Maybe I was just tired and negative. I should just go to bed and say tomorrow is another day… Besides, the issue of whether Eric was even safe here, right now, in Vegas, ought to be much more important than my own stupid emotional insecurities about what could happen months down the road, I told myself. The here and now. I said I was going to focus on the here and now. Maybe that was part of it. The here and the now were rather worrisome.

"Never mind," I said. I started to get up, but Eric held my thigh down on the couch with his long fingers, so I couldn't really rise.

"I _do_ mind." He looked at me intensely, with his jaw set. "You either trust me or you don't."

"What do you mean?" I asked him. I felt this edge from him. Like he was getting frustrated and maybe even angry. There's a whole long list of things I trusted him on, I thought to myself.

"You either trust my commitment to you, or you don't, Sookie." He looked at me as if he was trying to decide something and I didn't know what it was. I felt so hopelessly unskilled at relationships at times. All I could fall back on, in spite of how self-centered I felt about verbalizing it, was what I really felt in my heart.

"Eric, you're one of the _only_ people I trust. I just look at the way vampires tend to relate to humans and I think I'm seriously kidding myself that I will ever be able to keep you entertained for very long. And I feel stupid and self-consumed even saying it because you're stressed about much more serious things, and backup plans and all this other stuff. Look, it isn't important. Really, never mind…"

He looked at me for a long time before speaking. At first I felt this rush of anger from him, but then it was rapidly replaced with a blanket of complete calm. He chose his words carefully.

"You're tired. I'm trying very hard to remember that. That way I'll believe that you are not suggesting that I would ever behave with you the way Bill did. Because that would be an insult, especially given everything it's taken to get to this point. We're going to order you room service. We're taking a bath. We're going to relax. And then I'm going to remind you of the many ways I am very different from anyone else."

He was always so certain of himself, so certain he was going to convince me of everything, I thought. But his words stirred something deep within me. I reached out and took his hand and pressed it to my heart. I could still feel his anger, his passion, under some velvet cloak of calm. I wondered sometimes how much it cost him to let himself love me. He could barely even say the words at times. Only sometimes during sex, that night after they rescued me from Dieter. It was like he was admitting a huge personal liability. And yet, what I felt from him…

**

* * *

  
**

My eyes slowly focused on the dark red digits of the clock on the nightstand. 1:28 pm. It was completely dark in the room except for the illumination provided by the clock. The tea candles Eric had somehow gotten delivered had all burned out long ago. I'd gotten more than eight hours of sleep. Except for a bit of soreness, admittedly of the more pleasant type, I felt well rested. I had been surprised as I awakened to find that Eric had stayed in the bed. My right hand was still clasped in his left, which was stiff and quite cold. I could just slip my fingers out of his grasp however, to turn to look at the time. I couldn't see much of him because the room was so dark. I rolled over onto my side and put my head on his shoulder. I dozed for another half hour or so.

I finally stirred again just after 2 pm. I turned on the light on the nightstand and glanced over at Eric. It was eerie to see him so still. He looked almost like he was carved out of marble. I looked at him closely, studying him, stroked his hair and then kissed his cold lips. I got up and pulled on my nightgown, turned off the light and made my way in the dark out to the living area, closing the bedroom door behind me. I turned on the light on the desk and I looked through the room service menu but didn't feel inspired. I finally just ordered a fruit salad with yogurt and coffee. Then I went back to the bedroom and took a quick shower and got dressed. I retrieved my book from my suitcase (I'd continued rereading _Jane Eyre_) and noticed that Eric had been reading a very well worn copy of _The Art of War_ by Sun Tzu. I picked it up and looked at the description- military strategy, tactics, survival- and smiled. It seemed very Eric. I flipped through it and found multiple corners of pages turned down, notes in the margins in a language I guessed was Swedish or Norse. He must have had the book for a long time, I thought to myself. I knew it was a really famous book and not just for military issues but for business strategy, too. I glanced at Eric and wondered if he really applied a lot of the principles in his life as a Sheriff. I had to check it out of the Bon Temps Library. A knock on the door of the suite drew my attention and I replaced the book on the nightstand next to Eric, closed the door to the bedroom and went out. After confirming that it really was just the room service person, I opened the door, signed for the food and tipped the young woman generously in cash.

I picked at my salad and drank my hot coffee while reading about Jane's early days at Thornfield Manor. I watched TV for a bit but then went back to reading sucked back into Jane's world. What a shock Bertha was. Every time. Just when you think you know where your life is going, you find out where you really are… Actually, I had known a similar feeling all too recently.

Around 4 pm, Claudine called to check on me. I tried to sound upbeat but I guess she knew me a bit too well for that to work. She could tell I was still worried. Ten minutes after I got off the phone with her, I was surprised to receive a call from Niall. We chatted for a few minutes and every time he tried to ask me about how things were going I changed the subject. Before he hung up he told me that he cared about me a great deal. I felt this strange twist internally at his words. I didn't know how to reply. I just said I appreciated his regard. He told with me to be careful and that I should 'follow my instincts'. We said goodbye and I promised I'd keep Claudine posted.

I read until almost 5 pm and then, noting that it was getting darker outside, I went back to bed to take a nap. I wanted to wake up from my nap next to Eric. Just the thought of it made me happy.

I was not disappointed.

**

* * *

**

Eric showered as I dressed. I put on the red cocktail dress that Amelia had loaned me. Since I'd lost a little weight in the past week after being practically starved at Dieter's compound, it actually fit me pretty well. It was a good time to borrow it, since I wasn't as worried I'd stretch it, other than maybe the bust. It had a boatneck collar, so it covered my locket. It had a low cut back and I had to wear one of those pasty bras to look respectable. I took out the wrap that Alcide had given me but wasn't sure I wanted to wear it. Eric walked by me, while I was holding it, on the way to the shower and gave it a dark look. I remembered how Pam had teased about it. I left it on the back of the chair at the desk where he had earlier been checking his email as a bit of a tease. The next time I glanced at the chair it was gone. I finally found he'd put it in the closet. Of course, I put it back on the chair.

While Eric was in the shower, I noted that he'd been reading again in _Art of War_ while I was starting to get dressed. The book was open on a page in the chapter that dealt with strengths and weaknesses. There was an underlined quote: 'You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.'

Eric came out of the bathroom and saw me looking at the book. He didn't talk much, but I got an odd feeling from him. After he'd dressed in black slacks with a beautiful aquamarine colored silk shirt, he sat on the bed next to me to put on his socks and shoes. Without looking at me, he asked, in a low voice,

"How do you feel about Texas?"

I turned away from the book, and looked at him with puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"As a place to live."

"What do you mean, Eric?" I said turning to look at his face.

He leaned toward me and said softly, "I'm thinking I've had my fill, Sookie. So I'm going to leave. It's safer for me, it's safer for you. Ever since Felipe took over, it's been tenuous at best. I have a standing deal worked out with Stan Davis. I can work with Stan and Joseph. It would be a bit of a step down initially, but when you've had to start over as many times as I've had to, it's really not important. I'll take what's liquid in the bar, and a few other businesses and I can just call it a day in Shreveport. I've got plenty stashed away. We can start over in Texas."

I was kind of stunned and silent for a moment.

"So if you offer to leave, he has no reason to attack you?" I said finally, in my mind retracing the lines I'd just read in the book. I'd also taken careful note of his use of 'we'.

"That would be my hope, yes. Stan's style is a better fit for me and it would still be close enough for you to still see friends and family in Bon Temps regularly."

He wanted _me_ to leave with him? Part of me couldn't help but wonder if all of this was happening _because_ of me? He had bound me to him, he'd gotten more involved with me, only to have to rescue me and put down a plot in the process. And that was the root of all the present trouble. And now he was going to give up everything he had built over the past how many years in the state?

"How long have you lived in Louisiana, Eric?" I asked.

"Since 1922. Sophie-Anne recruited me from New York. We had known each other in Europe."

I looked up at him in shock. More than _eighty_ years? I was now feeling quite terrible inside. I just couldn't even speak. I kept seeing Quinn stake Andre (because of me) in my mind, leading to the successful takeover, or Eric standing there in Dieter's compound (because of me) leading to all this. This is all my fault, I thought to myself. The road he walked to get to this point, he walked with _me_. And we have not arrived at a good place. My eyes stung and I was really struggling not to tear up too obviously.

He cupped my face with his hand. "What are you thinking, Lover?"

"Well, right now I'm thinking that I'm probably one of the worst things that could have happened to you. And that I'm surprised you don't resent the hell out of me. That if you hadn't…"

He started kissing me to silence me. After a minute or two he pulled away and said, "Sometimes it's just time to move on. Working for Stan is fine, Sookie. Pam would likely come, too. She likes him very much. He can use the support after Rhodes. Texas is such a large state. We'll be fine." He nodded and then rose.

I went to fix my hair and put on makeup. I felt kind of numb as I looked at my reflection. Eric was going to leave Louisiana, move to Texas to work for Stan, and he wanted me to go with him… I was amazed, and almost angry with myself, to realize that I _would_ go with him. Crazy as it seemed, independent as I liked to think I was, I would. It shocked me and kind of scared me to realize it. The more time I spent with him, the more I could not imagine time without him.

When I came out of the bathroom, he was on the phone. He nodded while agreeing to something and then hung up. He turned to me and looked quite sober. I felt a tinge of apprehension from him. It chilled me to feel it. It was not something I was used to associating with Eric in any way.

"Felipe's second called to say that my presence is requested. So I'm going upstairs. Let's get you to Thalia and Bill. Remember that if anything happens, you stay with Thalia. She will get you to Pam. And you will trust no one other than Pam for a bond, Sookie. Understood?"

My eyes were as wide as saucers. If he resigned as Sheriff, and just left the state, Felipe should have no reason to harm him, I told myself. Right? _Right? _If he was leaving, he shouldn't be a threat. I suddenly wished I could go upstairs with him. It would be better if I could. But I knew that there was no way that I could go with him with this type of situation. I didn't know what to do. My mind raced, thinking of options.

"_Sookie_? Understood?"

I looked up, finally paying attention and just nodded as I slipped on my shoes. He walked over and grabbed my arm roughly and looked down at me sternly.

"Now is not the time to start getting freaked out, Sookie. I need you to think clearly, to stay sharp. Alright?"

"Alright. I'm fine. Worried, but fine." My voice sounded very tight. "Eric he really will let you go, right? I mean if you tell him that you want to leave, then there is no reason he would hurt you, right? He wouldn't try to kill you for leaving, would he?"

He released my arm, then held my face in his hands and kissed me. I pulled away from him.

"That's not an answer, Eric. And it's really important that I get an answer."

"It should be fine."

"Are you sure? Because if you're not, I need to know now, before we leave the room."

He gave me an puzzled look. "It should be fine, my Love. Really. I'm being cautious, that's all."

I tried to quell the fear I felt inside and looked back up at him. "I love you, Eric."

He looked into my eyes and smiled. In spite of his tense state, I could feel this smooth overlay of pleasure. He kissed me again then took my hand in his.

We opened the door to the room to find Victor Madden waiting.

Eric nodded to him then turned to me. "Sookie, go to Thalia. 1102. Go on."

"Well, actually, I'm here for Sookie, Eric. I thought I'd keep her busy while you're talking to Felipe," said Victor with a smile.

I looked up to see what Eric would say to that. His calm face masked crashing waves of intense dislike.

"She has plans with one of my crew, Thalia."

"Yes?" Victor said making a face. "But unfortunately, my plans rather take precedence over that, now don't they?" He took a hold of my arm. Eric's eyes glowed brightly as he looked down at Victor's hand on my bare arm.

"I would prefer that whatever plans you have, they do not include touching her, Victor. She is, after all, _mine_."

Victor looked up at Eric, clearly gauging the situation. He released my arm and said with a smile, "Of course. No harm intended. None whatsoever."

Eric looked at him coldly, but I could feel real anger building in him. Victor continued his behavior from yesterday, toying with the issue of _me_ in spite of Eric's very pointed manner where I was concerned. Even the way he looked at me was annoying to Eric.

"What are your plans? Where shall I look for you two?" Eric asked with a casualness that seemed at complete odds with what I was sensing from him.

"We will be downstairs on the floor of the casino."

I felt instant apprehension. Did they want me to do work for them, I thought to myself? Without any prior agreement with me, or more pertinently, with Eric? Because there were obviously limits to what I found acceptable and I trusted Eric to know and confirm those limits.

Eric looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I haven't heard any request to use her services? This is highly irregular."

"We're just going to walk around and enjoy, Eric. But we don't want to delay your departure, now do we?"

Eric looked at me. I just nodded to him. We didn't really have much of a choice. "I'll stop at Thalia's room and explain to her," I offered. He nodded and then walked swiftly ahead to the elevators.

I moved toward Bill and Thalia's room. When we stopped at their door, I saw Eric enter the elevator at the end of the hall and turn. I felt his eyes on me. His gaze warmed me, and then he was gone.

I knocked on the door and Bill opened it. He was startled by Victor's presence but seemed to cover it fairly quickly. Thalia came to the door, as well. I looked at her with my eyes wide as if pleading for her to absorb the fact that I seriously needed help.

"Sookie, you are late. I told you, I wanted you to assist me." She reached out and grabbed my wrist, but then Victor reached forward and grabbed her arm in what looked like a steely hold. Thalia's fangs ran down and she growled at him.

Well, this was awkward. She was grabbing me and Victor was grabbing her. Bill stepped forward and got Thalia to release my wrist. Victor then released her arm, which had a clear imprint of his fingers on it.

I turned to Victor and said, "It will only take a moment. She wanted me to help her with her hair. If you can just wait a moment? I did promise her."

Victor regarded me with suspicion. I smiled at him trustingly, the blonde barmaid smile. He nodded at me curtly and I went in, grabbing her hand and walking off to the bathroom.

As we stood in front of the long bathroom mirror, I looked at her reflection with eyes wide and shook my head and gestured that Eric had gone ahead upstairs. I took up her hairbrush and brushed her beautiful hair.

"Do you have hairpins?" I said in a low voice. She nodded and opened a small cosmetic bag that was on the counter.

I took out several bobby pins and set them aside. I started twisting up her hair to pin it up. I leaned forward and said as quietly as I could, "He wants me to go downstairs to the casino floor with him."

I put two pins in place and then said as I picked up a third and fourth, "Can you follow us downstairs?" I said as softly as I could.

She met my eyes in the mirror and nodded. I teased out some tendrils on either side of her face. She really looked pretty. I hugged her and left the bathroom. Bill was chatting with Victor and turned to look at me as I approached. As I walked toward the door with Victor, Bill gave me a quick look that showed concern. I moved my head in a tiny jerk back toward Thalia.

We left the room and walked to the elevators. In spite of what he had told Eric only minutes before, as the elevator doors closed, Victor linked his arm around mine and rest his hand on my forearm, holding it securely. In the confined space I felt claustrophobic and longed to escape him. But I knew that wasn't going to be.


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

I quickly gathered the reason that Victor had taken me to the casino. The flood of voices made it harder to attend to just what was going on with Eric. Any sense I had through the bond was attenuated simply because of so many other things going on around me. Nonetheless, I tried to filter out everything around me and stay connected to that slender thread that connected me to Eric, somewhere upstairs. As long as I felt him, it was okay. And I was okay.

I walked the floor of the casino with Victor, who continued much of the time to hold my arm in one fashion or another. I drew the line when he tried to hold my hand while his arm was linked with mine.

"I don't feel comfortable with that. And you're not honoring Eric's wishes at all, Victor." My jaw was set firmly.

After my rebuff, Victor scowled at me, but made no reply. And he didn't let go of me either.

Victor seemed to have made something of a study of me, as I soon detected when he ordered me a gin and tonic, without my having asked for one. How did he know what I liked to drink, I wondered? I was liking this less and less. He was walking me around as if showing me off and looking at me from time to time as if I was his future meal. In the interest of 'staying sharp' I put my unfinished drink on a passing server's tray. Every once in a while, I'd catch a glimpse of Thalia and feel reassured.

We walked by the blackjack tables and I fastened my attention on the little Asian man who was the dealer at the far table. He glanced up and then looked nervous when he recognized me from the previous night. I was positive that he could tell I could read him, yet he wasn't a telepath. It was odd. He cast his eyes down and continued his work, but he clearly did not want to meet my eyes. I sensed a deep well of guilt from him. He felt terrible about things. While I stood there at the table, Victor received some sort of text message on his cell phone. After a few moments he took my arm and led me toward the elevators.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Just upstairs, to the mezzanine," he said lightly.

As we exited the elevators two floors up, I had one of those rare flashes that I get every once in a while into the vampire mind. A slithery, echoing concept… Trap. We were headed into a trap. But it wasn't a trap for me. It was a trap for Eric. I tried to take in my surroundings. I had seen Thalia shadowing me out on the casino floor, keeping track of our movements. Would she be able to keep up with us on taking the elevator to the Mezzanine? Was the trip upstairs indicative of Victor's attempt to lose her? I hadn't seen Bill. Was he watching us, too?

I glanced around and became aware of the fact that there were three men who appeared to vaguely acknowledge that Victor had gotten out of the elevator with me. I noticed one had on what looked like leather gloves. So odd, I thought, here inside, and it's not cold outside... We headed off toward a series of smaller meeting rooms off the main ballroom, which was being prepared for the night's festivities. As we pressed further away from the ballroom, and from the many people milling around, I got balky.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, coming to a full stop.

"Just come with me," he grabbed onto my arm with a very firm grip, enough so that I was sure I'd be bruised.

I didn't budge. "I'm won't. I'm not going with you. I don't know what you're up to, but I won't go."

He leaned close to me and hissed, "Yes, you will."

"No, I'm not." I said through clenched teeth. "I want to go back downstairs, where you told Eric to meet us."

My heart was pounding. Eric would know that I was upset and perhaps afraid. _That_ must be what he wanted, I suddenly realized. I realized that the message that Victor had gotten downstairs must have been from someone alerting him to the fact that Eric was on the move, had left Felipe. If he made me upset, Eric would certainly come. I understood in a flash that he was baiting Eric into attacking him. Sure enough, within moments I had the sense that Eric was coming closer, and was agitated, as if feeding off of my agitation. Victor was now standing close to me, was practically on top of me, and had his hands on me with the clear intent to pull me further out of the main area of the mezzanine. Even if Eric had quit as Sheriff, if he attacked Victor, Felipe's lieutenant in Louisiana, it would give Felipe a way to get rid of Eric justifiably. If I hadn't been harmed, Eric would be attacking him for an even weaker reason than Victor having hurt his human. I tried to still my mind and think. I was under Felipe's order of protection. If anyone harmed me, it would violate that order. So there was basically only one thing I could do.

I hit him in the face as hard as I could, but with his back to the area where people were milling about, so it was harder for anyone behind him to see that I did it. Victor snarled at me and his eyes glowed red with anger. He slapped me in the face with his free hand. I was so keyed up that I hardly reacted. With my lip bleeding, I could sense I was one step closer to getting him to where I needed to be. I hit him again and now he grabbed me with his both arms, pulling me closer to him, almost as if in an embrace, his face almost touching mine. We were so close in height but he was impossibly strong. I turned, trying to pull away but he jerked me toward him tightly, raising me slightly off the floor as if to pick me up. As I twisted to keep from facing him, his fang caught my bare shoulder as we struggled. He grazed my shoulder and a trail of blood started running down my arm and onto his jacket. He set me down and I saw his eyes just glowing. Bloodlust, and really, lust in general, was all over him. I could see it in his eyes. With low growl he raised his hand pushing my head to the side and sank his teeth into my neck. I cried out in pain and then some sort of wave of energy projected through the fabric of my dress from my locket, startling Victor, seeming to shock him into pulling away and releasing me. I gasped, breathing hard. He looked at me oddly, his mouth wet with my blood. My neck throbbed. I put pressure on the bite to try to stop it from bleeding and tried to calm myself.

Eric had arrived on the mezzanine, bounding up the stairs, and found his way to us. Although I had tried to calm myself, I must have looked a real mess. He took in the blood on my neck, my shoulder and that I'd been hit in the face. In an instant he was on Victor, clawing at his face and throat, snarling like a lion. The three men I had seen before, jumped onto them and pulled Eric off Victor, and quickly restrained him with some silver chain that they apparently just happened to have handy. The gloves… the leather gloves… to protect them from the silver. I was seeing stars from dizziness and simultaneously felt Eric's discomfort at the silver rope chain, which burned him even through the silk shirt. It didn't look as thick as the one Sigebert had had, but it clearly hurt. People stood staring in the mezzanine lobby area. There were at least twenty witnesses, including I saw, Bill and Thalia, who I guess had been trailing us even after we'd come upstairs.

Victor, now bleeding himself, stood and stared at me in angry disbelief. I was bleeding at my lip, my shoulder and from my neck, and blood had stained his jacket and my dress. If his plan was to make it look as if Eric attacked him for no reason, it had been foiled. I was almost breathless from the stinging pain of the bite on my neck. But seeing the way Victor looked at me, I knew I'd won.

"What is that around your neck?" he asked angrily. "What are you wearing around your neck?" He pointed to my chest.

"A locket. Just a locket," I said weakly, with my hand on my neck. A locket that just about saved me, I thought to myself. My neck just throbbed and I also felt some sense of the pain of the silver on Eric. It was much stronger than when Sigebert had lassoed him that night at Merlotte's, even though this chain was much thinner. I was dazed but wondered if it was because the bond between us had grown so much stronger that now I could really feel it.

Roberto Garcia, Felipe's second, calmly walked into the fray, looked at Victor, at me, then at Eric, and back at the gallery of faces staring at all of us. He motioned that we were to head to the elevator and then got on his cell phone, speaking in hushed but guttural Spanish. He waved off the crowd.

Eric looked down at me, at my neck, which was still bleeding, He bent as if to lick my neck to coagulate the blood but Roberto waved to stop him and pushed him back.

"She is _not_ getting into the elevator bleeding like that, Roberto…" insisted Eric gruffly. Roberto sniffed at me and then nodded. Thalia and Bill were nearby, and Roberto motioned to Thalia to tend to me. I was surprised that he knew she worked for Eric, since she was not to have traveled with us. She came over to me and was surprisingly gentle looking at my injuries. They held the elevator as I bent and she licked my neck, my shoulder and then licked her finger and applied it gently to my lip. It's a good thing I'm not all that squeamish because it felt really gross to be licked by someone I didn't know all that well, in public no less. She stroked my cheek and nodded to me with an odd look in her eyes. I had the feeling that even if Victor's crew hadn't seen it, that Thalia knew exactly what I'd done. She and Bill looked very grave as I got into the elevator and turned back to see their faces.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Roberto wheeled around and confronted Victor.

"What the _fuck_ were you thinking? And in such a public place? Look at her!"

"She hit me. I was walking with her and she refused to move. She hit me, Roberto."

Roberto, who was about six feet two inches, dark eyed and had bleached blonde hair that was styled so that it stood up into scrunched spikes, looked at Victor eye to eye with unguarded displeasure.

"And the reason she's covered with blood is what? That," he said pointing at my neck, "wasn't from hitting her back, Victor. Stupid. Very stupid. Breaking the law _in the hotel_? At least twenty witnesses? I seem to remember protection was conferred on this human because she is valuable. And this has happened on Felipe's own property?"

"She was being recalcitrant. She's my state's asset, Roberto and I'll do as I please and you won't question me," Victor growled.

I couldn't resist. "So you're actually suggesting that I got into a fight with you and _made_ you bite me? I started a fight with a vampire? That's your defense?" I said sarcastically.

Victor Madden glared at me with eyes practically glowing like hot coals. He snarled and started to move toward me and Roberto, with a single hand, slammed him back against the wall of the elevator, jolting it and leaving a dent in the polished metal wall. I moved closer to Eric, even though he wasn't in much shape to help me with Victor's men surrounding him.

Roberto stepped in between me and Victor and looked at him and shook his head. "You're _done_," he hissed in a low voice.

I looked up to see Eric glare at me as we headed into a hallway filled with what could only be guards, toward Felipe's office suite. He trailed immediately behind me and hissed down at me, "Shut up and let me do the talking." Eric was so angry. Was he angry at me, too? For what I said in the elevator? It had to be that he was angry at Victor. Well, at least now Victor was going to be delivered into Felipe's office as a snarling vampire. What could they come up with to claim this was Eric's fault, I wondered?

Felipe rose from a dark wood desk in a poshly decorated office and walked around it to approach me. Just as when I'd met him once before, he was debonair, wore a cape and seemed somehow much larger than he actually was because he had such presence.

He walked over to me and tipped my chin up with his index finger and turned my head to look at my neck and then at my shoulder, then turned my face back to meet his and he eyed my lip. Then he turned to Victor.

"Pendejo…" he hissed at him in Spanish. "Get out of here." Victor looked at him wide-eyed but promptly left with his three men.

He looked at Eric and said, "Northman, what is the meaning of attacking Madden? I believe according to Roberto, he had already stopped harming her. You should have trusted to us to take care of the situation." Here he stroked his hand down my arm, and I couldn't stop myself from shrinking from his touch. "He will be disciplined, so no worries. You can go on your way and we will take good care of Miss Stackhouse. She is under my protection. Of course, we will keep her very safe."

I felt a chill across the bond as Eric looked down to meet Felipe's eyes. "She will travel back with me, Your Majesty."

"I think not, Northman. She is a valuable asset of Louisiana. She is ours."

The expression on Eric's face hardly changed but I felt his being completely taken aback, uncertain as to which way to take things. Actually, I felt something well beyond what I had felt that time with Sigebert outside of Merlotte's. A whisper of internal panic, quickly put aside. Okay, if Eric was freaking out, even a little, this was officially bad. My heart started pounding. I opened my mouth but felt Eric send me this wave of energy that was telling me to squelch it. I focused on what Pam had told me. Don't argue with Eric. I remembered his dealing with Andre, his dealing with just about everything everywhere. A thousand plus years of experience, I told myself. The man could probably talk his way out of anything.

"She is bound to me, Your Majesty. _Formally bound_. By ceremonial knife."

This appeared to capture Felipe's attention slightly more. I didn't quite get what the point of the knife was, but it appeared to have some meaning to him.

"And who witnessed this?" he asked suspiciously.

I closed my eyes and tried not to shake my head. Great. Just great…

"Sophie-Anne's second, Andre and John Quinn," said Eric firmly.

"Both of whom are dead and unavailable. Most unfortunate." He picked up my hands and examined my wrists and then looked at my throat. "She has no scars of such a formal tie, Northman."

Eric looked at him and said firmly, "I do not _wish_ to leave her with scars. _Look_ at her." Just an edge of his anger showing there…

Felipe instead glanced at him in evident disbelief. Evidently leaving scars was no biggie in his book. Humans are food and sometimes food has blemishes? That's the picture I was getting…

"Well, she belongs to the state. That is my decree. She is _my_ asset and you _will_ be leaving her."

Eric looked over at me steadily and then looked back at Felipe and said resolutely, "I cannot do that." He was almost scary polite as he said it. I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Well, then, you leave me little choice," Felipe said with a sardonic smile.

He gestured, to the two guards who had taken over from Victor's men, and they took hold of Eric. Gloves, I noticed. They also had the gloves. This whole thing was a set up but were they trying to get rid of Eric or keep me? Both?

My heart was pounding as Felipe turned away and said simply, with an idle wave of his hand,

"Kill him."


	5. Chapter 5

**V.**

_Kill him?_ My heart just about stopped and I swallowed hard. Had I really heard him correctly? Clearly he was determined to get Eric out of the way no matter what the flimsy excuse. I felt any former qualms in Eric's mind quickly tamped way, way down as he started parsing options, all of which seemed as if they must be very violent from what I was feeling from him. No matter what ice cold determination he possessed, however, it didn't take much to figure that with four vampires in the room and being restrained with silver, the odds were not particularly good. There were the additional vampires out in the hall to consider. Plus, I was in the room and that introduced an additional problem. There was still not a single doubt in my mind that any of that would really stop Eric from fighting them.

Felipe turned to adjust something on his desk and picked up his Blackberry. Then he seemed to think better of something…

"Take him out on the terrace so you don't make a mess in here." To Roberto he said, "Take her to my quarters. I'll deal with her later." He turned to me with a satisfied smile. "You my dear, will have the honor of being bound to a King." Felipe started to turn to leave and head downstairs. Roberto glanced at Eric quickly.

The ice cold fury I felt streaming forth from Eric, along with the burning red glow in his eyes after that last remark were enough to spur me to action. He was finished with talking and things were about to get _really_ bad. I could feel it. Well, I had had enough. I had really tried to do it Eric's way, tried to follow Pam's advice. But we were definitely way past done with my _not_ talking. Trying not to shake, I spoke at last.

"That would all be highly inadvisable," I said as clear and firm a tone of voice as I could muster. I was trembling inside.

Felipe turned to me, looking both annoyed and amused. "And _why_ would that be?"

I drew out my locket, which immediately caught his full attention. His eyes were wide as he looked at it in my hands. I opened it and produced a very small folded piece of paper that was initially as thin as gossamer. I unfolded it several times until only a single fold was left. The more I'd handled it, the more the paper thickened and enlarged. I handed him the folded letter, swallowing hard and trying not to look as nervous as I felt.

He looked at me curiously but accepted the paper and opened it. The paper glowed to his touch and he seemed almost rocked backwards by its power. It felt as if a wave of magic had arced through the room. Eric stiffened in recognition of something. Suddenly, a stream of light within the paper itself appeared to write something across the top of the letter. Felipe gasped. From seeing the letters as they burnt through the backside of the paper, I could see in reverse that the name _Felipe de Castro_ had been emblazoned across the letter, magically identifying him as the holder of the document.

As he read the document, the look on Felipe's face changed to one of sheer amazement. He started to drop the letter to his side to speak to me but then quickly read through it again before looking me.

"Who _are_ you? Who are _you_ to Niall Brigant?"

"I am his great-granddaughter. I believe the content of the letter is clear?" I asked softly as I cast my eyes briefly toward Eric and then looked Felipe directly in the eyes.

Felipe glanced at the letter again and then signaled to his men, who didn't quite get it. Finally he said, in a harsh tone,

"Release him, gilipollas! Just…" gesturing broadly "release him…" Felipe said. He glanced worriedly at my lip, then his eyes traced to my neck and out onto my shoulder. Clearly I had been harmed much more visibly than had Eric and _I_ was the direct relation to Niall Brigant.

The guards released their hold on Eric and slowly unwound the silver chain from around his chest. There were some streaks of blood that had soaked through the silk shirt in places that the chains had been pulled tight against his chest and managed to burn him through the silk. I tried not to wince looking at the traces on his shirt. The pain ebbed away from him. Eric stepped closer to me. I glanced up at him, but still didn't want to smile just yet. He met my eyes and looked immensely puzzled as to what was going on. Perhaps he thought it was a diversion to make it easier for him to obliterate everyone in the room? Really, looking at them, I had no doubt he could do it. But it wasn't worth the mess it would cause and there were six more vampires out in the hallway, who we had passed coming into the office area.

Felipe motioned the guards to leave. It was now just the four of us in the office, Felipe, Roberto, Eric and me. He paced a moment and then read the letter out loud:

* * *

_To: __**Felipe de Castro**_

_Be forewarned that Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman are under the protection of the undersigned. Any manner of harm to either will be considered a formal Act of War._

_Prince Niall Brigant_

_Séamas Brigant_

_Méav Brigant_

_Líadin Brigant_

* * *

He really butchered the pronunciation of the other names I noted to myself. As it was read aloud, Roberto looked over at me as if I was something quite unexpected. He looked positively intrigued. Eric seemed to be completely caught off guard from what I could feel but, as usual, he gave absolutely nothing away with his facial expression.

Felipe loomed over me. "He can't be serious. He's conferring protection on a _vampire_?"

I looked at him and shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because he's a _vampire._ You are," and here he sniffed at me near my open wounds, "some dilute fae… sure enough, I can smell it. If you are his grandchild, I can see his protecting you. But why would he confer such protection on Northman? Why?"

"Because I am bound to him. My happiness lies in his welfare. Harming him would harm me." I looked him directly in the eyes. He stared back at me. I could see he was plainly incredulous that anyone fae or even part fae would give a damn about a vampire let alone threaten to declare war if one was harmed. Eric meanwhile, if still rather caught off guard, was feeling a bit more pleasantly so.

"So I'm to believe that Niall Brigant is going to declare war on me if I kill Eric Northman?"

"I don't think you understand," I said quietly. "If you harm Eric, he will declare war on _all_ of you. All vampires."

"Well that is absurd. The Fae are outnumbered at least five to one on this continent alone."

"Sir, do you know anything about my Grandfather's businesses?" The trump card. The one that had amazed me, when it was fully explained. The one that seemed so devilishly clever, right down to the fact that the proprietary formula included a step of magic that required Fae chemists on staff. The vampires would _never_ be able to replicate it. _Ever_.

Felipe looked like he was getting more and more annoyed with me. "What about them? What would I care about his businesses?"

"Are you familiar with a company in Japan called Shinsei-Ro Pharmaceuticals?"

He froze.

"Yes…"

Now I had his attention. In fact, I seemed to have the full attention of Roberto, and even Eric, with that one.

"The undersigned on the letter you hold are principal owners of 61% of the stock in Shinsei-Ro. A good fraction of the remaining ownership is also Fae. Not only will production of all True Blood products cease, the media can be availed of the immense risk that vampires then pose to the public, since most of you will not be able to afford Royalty or Royalty Blended. And I understand the Blended is using True Blood off-label, so that supply will dry up as well. The Fae won't have to raise a finger." I paused for a moment, recalling how Niall had expressed it to me… his pleasure, and my wondering if this plan had been an option all along for when they got really sick of the vampires. "The _humans _will do all the work. They know where you live, they know where you work. You've been out too long." I looked Felipe directly in the eyes for that one, letting him absorb the full impact of my meaning. "My Grandfather is really not a person who is easy to oppose on his edicts. As I said, killing Eric would be _highly_ inadvisable. And I'm sure he's not going to be thrilled with how I'm looking currently…"

I would probably hold the look on Felipe de Castro's face at that moment in my mind's eye forever. If Amelia had been there she would have engaged in some fist pumping. I was going to be very happy to just be able to walk out the door with Eric.

For just an instant, I watched as it was obvious that Felipe was trying to decide whether he should check my facts. At that precise moment the letter itself began to brighten and flare in his hands, growing more intense in its power. It was as if you could reach out and touch the magic emanating from it. Even I could feel it and it actually felt stinging in its power. A warning. He was definitely starting to think about erring on the side of caution, I could tell. He tried to hand the letter back to me, looking intently at the locket on my chest, with it's shining emerald studded 'B'.

"No, that's okay." I said. "That's _yours_. You should keep it." Now that I had his full attention, I could add what had been on my mind for almost a week. "And Sir, if you don't mind my saying so… It seems to me that a Sheriff loyal enough to run most of a state when his Queen was completely incapacitated and had only a single strongly-bound protector guarding her, would be a Sheriff you would have _wanted_ to have. If he didn't take Louisiana when Sophie-Anne was so injured, can you really think he wanted it at all? Clearly you and I have already both seen with our own eyes that Eric could have killed Sigebert if he wanted to. And Sigebert was really Sophie-Anne's sole protector. I'm sure you might think there was some scheme linking Eric to Sigebert attacking you both, but I really think you ought to have a long talk with Victor about that one. When he was in my house the night of the takeover he told us that Sigebert _seemed_ to have perished. It was a very curious choice of words. And it seems like awfully sloppy work, no?" I met his eyes directly.

Felipe just stared at me. After a long pause, he said with a raised eyebrow, "Do you have anything else you'd like to tell me?"

I shook my head saying 'no'. I picked up Eric's hand but then turned back to face Felipe. There _was_ one thing that could be made right. And now that I had a much larger measure of security out in the open, I could even do him a favor or two to make him swallow the bitterness of letting us go a bit better. This would benefit him, but it would potentially benefit someone else much more.

"Yes, actually, I do have something else I could tell you. There's a man at the blackjack table closest to your slot machines downstairs. His name is Henry, and he is being blackmailed by a vampire who works in enforcement for the Gaming Control Board. He lied on an application about an arrest ten years ago and Marcus, the vampire, caught him by chance in the lie and threatened to expose him so he wouldn't be able to work in the gaming industry. Henry supports a large family and cannot afford to lose his job. This Marcus has involved him in a scheme to skim money from those carts that carry your cash in the casino? Henry could give you all the details. He receives the cash from someone else in the casino and then hands it off to Marcus nightly. Henry's really wracked with guilt. He told a relatively small lie and ended up actively doing something he knows is very wrong. He'd do anything to make it right but doesn't know how. He's too afraid to talk to Roberto or any of your people because he thinks they'll go after _him_. You better not harm him. If you do, I'll never tell you anything I get from anyone ever again. The vampire on the Board, Marcus, is your real problem anyway, because he's looking for more opportunities to steal. And yours is not the only casino Henry thinks he's stealing from. Having a vampire who is under your control doing stuff like that on the Gaming Board would really seem like pretty bad PR for vampires to me. And for you specifically. Oh, and the Clark County Sheriff's Department and the technology division of the Control Board have your casino under surveillance. But I guess you probably knew that. Or…. maybe _not_ I see… The roulette tables. It's something about your roulette tables. They think they might be fixed or something?" I nodded to him. "Good night."

As we turned to leave, Roberto winked at me. Although his face looked rather impassive, he seemed almost amused by the whole thing. Felipe on the other hand looked as if he could easily have turned to stone.

I let Eric lead me out of the suite. We walked toward the elevators, past the cadre of guards, who seemed very surprised to see us, especially Eric, leaving. We silently entered the elevator. Eric's thumb stroked my hand. Once the elevator doors closed Eric turned to me and shook his head. He had the oddest look on his face. But I could feel so many different things from him I could hardly sort it all out. We got off on the 11th floor and went to our room. Eric sent a text message to Bill so he and Thalia would know we were okay.

When we got into the room he stripped off his shirt and threw it in the trash. The raw areas from the silver had mostly healed and now looked like angry red welts. It still hurt to look at them, even if they were healing rapidly. He looked totally unperturbed as he swept the room and found that several of the microphones had been rewired. I guess the housekeeping service did more than just clean and make beds. This time he looked more irritated as he cut the wires.

Eric finally sat down on the couch and looked up at me with a questioning face. He put his hand flat on the space next to him, looking at me as if beckoning to me to sit next to him. He wrapped his arms around me when I sat down, leaned his head against mine and then said softly in my ear,

"And the reason you didn't tell me before?" with a slightly scary edge to the velvet voice in my ear.

I turned my head up to his and met his gaze. "We're both so proud, Eric."

His eyes narrowed slightly but he said nothing. So I continued,

"I didn't think you would relish his intervention, unless it was the last possible option. It looked like the only other option was you trying to fight four vampires while wrapped in a silver rope chain. I didn't think that was a very good idea. Especially since there were about six more vampires outside in the hallway." It was on my mind that Felipe had already seen me help that night when Sigebert showed up at Merlotte's. Eric wasn't the sort of person who would like having it look as if he was saved by his human twice. Even if the second time was really by someone even more powerful than Felipe. But really, mine was the best option.

"And exactly what has this intervention cost, may I ask?" he said dryly.

"It was my grandfather's gift to _me_. A true gift. I made sure. I guess part of his willingness to grant it is that he feels you were and are of great use to him. But mostly you have always protected me. Look at it as his trying to ensure my protection by ensuring yours."

"This one time…" he said, still with an edge.

I met his gaze again, and said softly, "No. That was not what I asked for… And that is why the others have signed it."

His eyes widened. "And this was a _gift_?"

"He made the mistake of asking me in too open a way. As if I had not learned enough about the Fae to know that. I thought carefully about what I'd ask for, and knew I'd hit the mark because of his reaction. But he kept his word. It will not always be a solution, obviously, but yes, it is a gift. They will protect us."

Eric was silent for several minutes. I was lost in my own thoughts, looking away, looking back to those moments in Felipe's office.

"I'm sorry I told you to shut up. I apologize," he said almost wearily.

I examined my nails while I continued looking away from him. I'd broken a nail at some point and it looked ragged. It looked bad because my nails were painted red so it really stood out. "Okay," I said distractedly.

"Is that okay, as in you accept my apology, or okay, as in you're still mad?" he stroked my hair behind my ear and away from the wound on my neck.

I turned to look at him. Well, I was willing to pick a fight with a vampire to protect you, and then you told me to shut up, I thought to myself. But really, in retrospect, the implications of antagonizing a vampire in the enclosed space of the elevator while bearing open wounds was not exactly lost on me. It had _not_ been a shrewd move. He had been right about keeping quiet given my judgment at the moment.

"Still mad?" he asked again. He looked at me like he really didn't want me mad at him. Meanwhile I was still just sort of replaying the whole thing in my mind.

"What? No." I shook my head. "I accept your apology. You were very stressed. And my snapping at Victor in the elevator wasn't a good idea. It was stupid and risky."

"Very _stressed_, Sookie? After quitting my position and then finding Madden tried to _dine _on you? He drew your _blood_…" he said. He paused for a moment and then turned my face back to his and seemed to evaluate something. Finally he said, "You really did hit him, didn't you? He was telling the truth."

I smiled nervously. "He wasn't doing anything to me in the beginning, other than just touching me and trying to get me agitated or scared of him. He was trying to get me upset to bait you. So yes, I hit him. Hard. As hard as I could without taking a big obvious swing at him. He hit me back and when I hit him a second time, we struggled and he cut my shoulder by accident. Then he lost it. I figured if he only had me scared and cornered and you went after him and nothing had really happened to me that it was really going to look like you attacked _him._ That was obviously exactly what they were hoping you'd do. I tried to get him to hurt me so that at the very least, it would look like you had a _reason_ to defend me."

Eric looked darkly at me. "That was stupid and unnecessarily risky, Sookie..."

"It was the best I could do on the spur of the moment. He'd been trying to get a rise out of you with respect to me since we got here. I wanted it to be clear that he _really_ went after me. And that's why he was so mad. He had it all under control except he never thought I'd bait _him_. He thought I was really afraid of him. So it was his word against my word but I was the one with the bite wounds. It's not like I'm going to be enjoying letting him bite me, right? And it doesn't look very plausible that I'd go after _him_, now does it? At least not without a stake in my hands." I crossed my arms over my chest. My neck still really hurt.

Eric just looked incredulous. "Sookie, are you _nuts_?"

"Lots of people ended up seeing that he attacked me, Eric. You can only have so many people see what happened before it gets to be a problem covering the whole thing up. And like Roberto said, he broke the law, attacking a human in a place loaded with law enforcement personnel, on top of it."

"He could have _killed_ you, Sookie. Did you ever stop to think about _that_?" he said angrily. His eyes were filled with reproach.

"He's not that stupid, Eric. If I'm supposed to be under Felipe's protection, killing me would seem to be a rather big mistake. He could have really hurt me much more than he did, I guess. But I don't think he would have because I think he was hoping that Felipe would just give me to him to play with or whatever," I said with a shudder. "He'd been looking at me like a wolf looks at its prey ever since we got here and even going back to that night in Bon Temps."

Eric grabbed my shoulders. "I want your word you will never do anything like this again under _any _circumstances, Sookie. _Ever_. Are we clear?" He practically growled at me. His eyes shone with real anger.

"Well, _ouch_! Watch the shoulder, Eric…" I said to him as I winced. He released my shoulder quickly. I looked at him and just shook my head.

"This isn't a _game_, Sookie. You're getting into the habit of carrying the brave thing too far. You're going to get yourself killed. You're the one that wants to be mortal. You should think about that." He sounded rather bitter.

I held onto my locket with my left hand, sliding it back and forth on the platinum chain. I was feeling very grateful to my Grandfather right now, and not just for protecting Eric, but for the locket having seemed to stop Victor from really harming me. I didn't know how it worked but it did. In spite of my bravado, I'd pretty much seen my life flash before my eyes when Victor had really bitten me. It was one of those times in which you question your own judgment in taking risks, but a little too late to do much about it. Eric was right, I thought to myself. I was playing with fire, and it wasn't a game. Maybe if Victor hadn't really been hurting me, Thalia would have intercepted Eric at the stairs… Maybe in my determination to 'help', I'd made things worse this time. But then I thought about my conversation with my grandfather earlier in the afternoon. He'd told me to follow my instincts. Perhaps second-guessing my instincts would be even more dangerous. They had been determined to trap Eric. Maybe grab me. And my being in that office with him had possibly kept him alive or from grievous harm. And it could have averted a war because I was dead sure that my Grandfather would have gone after Felipe. In fact, I wondered what would happen to Victor. I had been harmed and I didn't think it was likely that either Eric or my Grandfather would take it lightly.

Eric tipped my head to the side gently and bit his finger and started rubbing blood into the bite wounds on my neck. He shook his head as he tended to the wound, then started muttering in what was likely Swedish or Old Norse. It did _not_ sound like he was paying me compliments from his tone.

He shifted his attention to the scrape on my shoulder. Then he said, "Before we left the room, you already planned to do something. You said that you needed to know before we left if Felipe would do anything to me."

"I guess I would have called Niall back. He and Claudine both called me earlier in the afternoon. They've been keeping tabs on how it was going. Claudine knew how worried I was and that was before I knew how bad it was. I'd been worried for days about what could happen. Ever since you told me that Felipe felt threatened. She knew I blamed myself and thought your present situation with Felipe was basically my fault. You wouldn't have had these problems if it wasn't for me. You wouldn't be leaving if you hadn't gone on that raid, Eric. There might have been a war, but your position would have been _strengthened_ because of your long experience fighting the Fae."

Eric shook his head and said, "There will always be problems, Sookie. You are _not_ the reason there are problems. It has already been difficult to adjust to the new regime. As I said, I have a standing agreement with Stan. That agreement was actually made in December. It had nothing to do with you. I didn't like the way things were evolving. I can get along well enough with Stan and he was still close enough so that I would be able to see you with some frequency. But now, we'll just leave together. Felipe can get his own damn telepath."

His agreement was made with Stan in December? I was surprised. I had assumed it was much more recent. I felt relieved somehow. I might have worsened things, but perhaps he was already really dissatisfied and making other plans.

Just then his phone vibrated. He checked it and murmured "Bill" and answered. After listening for several minutes, he chuckled. "Well, how very amusing… Fine." He hung up. He rose and said,

"We need to change. We are 'wanted' downstairs. It seems that Felipe has reinstated me, or should I say more accurately, has neglected to remember my resignation and has called for my presence. He also is asking for 'the delightful Miss Stackhouse,' according to Bill."

I looked up at him frowning. Felipe was now going to pretend as if nothing had happened at all? So the upshot was that since he really couldn't kill Eric and co-opt me, that we were now valuable enough to keep in the state of Louisiana after all? Was it just fear of further angering Niall? And was it even really safe, I wondered, to stay working for someone who thirty minutes ago was blithely ordering your demise?

Eric chuckled after taking in the expression on my face and whatever he could glean from my feelings on the issue. He bowed, picked up my hand and kissed it.

"Welcome to my world, Lover," he said with irony. "As I assured you, we're fine..."

He gently pulled me up and then looked into my eyes with some inscrutable thoughts running through his mind. He tended to my lip. I winced when he pulled it down but it felt better right away once his blood touched it. I looked at him flirtatiously as he touched my lips and he made 'tsk, tsk' sounds in reply, shaking his head. He kissed me gently on the forehead and then we both quickly dressed for the events downstairs. After rubbing a bit more blood into the wound at my neck, Eric stood briefly admiring the blue silk bias-cut dress that Pam had given me as a generous gift. I put on the beautiful sapphire and white gold earrings that she had loaned me. The white gold went fairly well with the pendant, which now I felt I could wear a bit more openly. He seemed to like the deep blue wrap she'd gotten much better than the one Alcide had given me, too. He'd put on a dark red shirt. He stood behind me with his arms around me, his face leaning against the top of my head. Our eyes met in the reflection. My heart just swelled looking at him.

He took my hand and we left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**VI.**

It was just before dawn and I was nestled in Eric's arms, spooned against him.

"So you would have gone with me to Texas?"

"MmmmHmmm," I said sleepily. I would indeed, and I was still amazed that I would.

"You will still go if I do decide to leave?"

"MmmmHmmmm. If you leave it would only be for a good reason," I murmured. I felt a sense of contentment lying there with him.

We were silent for a while and I got sleepier.

"Are you going to tell me how you got Niall to agree to do such a thing, Sookie?"

I snorted. "I told you Eric. He made the mistake of asking me if there was anything I wanted, to make up for the whole Dermot and Dieter debacle. He specifically said 'was there nothing he could do to _make up for_ what happened…' So I made sure we would owe him nothing in return and then I asked him to protect you, because you've always protected me. I wanted you to be safe."

"And he agreed to do this?" I couldn't see his face but I could feel his amazement.

"Mmmmm. It wasn't even all that much of an argument. He was very half-hearted in his attempts to talk me out of it. I think he admired my audacity in asking. Eric, what was the deal with the knife?" I asked very sleepily.

"The ceremonial knife? It's used in marriage ceremonies and the like. It is a more formal bond in my world. You saw that in Rhodes, remember?" He managed to pull me even closer to him.

"Mmmmm. An inspired try…"

He laughed softly.

My eyes grew even heavier and, finally, I just drifted away…

**

* * *

  
**

_Saturday, 6:45 pm_

I slept for more than twelve hours. I guess between all the stress, losing some blood, and not being used to staying up until dawn every night, I really needed the sleep. Eric was already awake when I got up. He had taken a shower and came out and sat on the bed, wrapped in a bath towel. He looked at me with a smile as I stretched and then beckoned to him.

Later, when I went to shower, as I went to turn on the water, I noted a faint, almost rusty ring around the drain. It washed away and I didn't think too much about it. After showering, I blew dry my hair. Since we didn't have to be anywhere until around 11 pm, I just put on some my navy blue sweatpants and LSU sweatshirt for the time being. My long red dress was harder to get into and was tight fitting. I wanted to be comfortable for the time being. Eric was busy doing email and checking up on things with Pam. He, too, was in sweatpants, and a black Fangtasia t-shirt. I glanced at the chair he was sitting in and found my beaded black velvet wrap had disappeared again. In its place was a heavy black silk wrap that appeared to have some sort of abstract streak of cranberry red across it. With a 'hmmmm' I stroked Eric's back to push him away from the back of the chair and removed it. Once I unfolded it, I found it was gorgeous and was one of those things that had been signed by a designer, but it looked like this was hand-signed with a fabric pen because the signature didn't show completely on the other side- it wasn't woven into the silk. It was some sort of original, numbered 32/50. Eric went right on replying to email and placing phone calls, though I caught him smiling when I looked at how the wrap went with the dress. Was there even a question? Since the dress had sequins, it looked much better not to have a beaded wrap, which wouldn't match and would have looked too busy. I came back out to the living area, wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, kissed him, and reminded him the other wrap was my personal property and had better not have suffered any misadventure. He pointed to the closet, while laughing at me.

We ordered room service. I got a steak at Eric's insistence and he ordered several bottles of True Blood, which came in a warmer. We chatted while I ate and Eric drank. Tomorrow night we were going to the Cirque du Soleil and the following night to see a production of Phantom of the Opera and The Venetian Hotel. I was pretty excited about it. Eric teased me about how I should be feeling guiltier for having missed so much work. He reminded me of how mad I'd been when he'd told me about the plans in early February. I threw the garnish from my plate at him. How things had changed in a month's time, I thought. But here I was…

I had just finished eating when Bill and Thalia showed up, around 8:30 pm.

After putting the rolling table outside, I curled up on the couch with my book, thinking that I'd just read more Jane Eyre, while Eric chatted with them. But Thalia sat next to me and Bill stood just looking at me. I looked at them as if puzzled. They were here to talk to me? Finally Thalia spoke first.

"You _drove _him to attack you. Bill was at the back of the hall and saw you hit him. _Twice_."

I looked at her, rather puzzled as to what her point was.

Then Bill spoke up and said, "We couldn't tell you privately enough last night, but we wanted you to know that we saw, Sookie."

I looked from one to the other of them and said, "And….?" I hadn't expected anyone to come to my aide or anything. I wasn't even aware they were there.

Bill continued. "We both felt really bad, Sookie. He hurt you. We wanted you to know that if we _could_ have helped you, we both would have helped you. We were positioned to try to keep Eric away from Madden but he got by us. We didn't realize that you knew what he was trying to do and that you would try something so… crazy."

I didn't know what they expected me to say. "Well, it's fine. I didn't even know if you two were around after we left the casino. I was rather preoccupied."

Bill looked at me and shook his head with a laugh. "I really just couldn't believe it when you hit him the second time…"

Eric immediately cut him off, "_Bill_," he said sharply, "I'd really appreciate your not encouraging her. It was a risk not worth taking on her part and it's one she will _not_ be taking again." He glared at him.

Bill looked back at Eric as if he disagreed and said, "Well, it seemed to have paid off, since things have turned out alright."

I didn't want to look up at Eric at that moment. We had a tacit agreement not to talk to the others about just how we had gotten the handle on the situation with Felipe. Eric just stared at Bill coldly until Bill looked away. Eric was not going to stand for Bill telling him how things had turned out.

Thalia, who seemed a bit more circumspect about the situation said, "Well, he won't be doing anything to her again, anyway..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to her. I had been chagrined to see that Victor was already on the prowl again by 2 am, looking at me with plain hostility from across the crowded ballroom. I had refused to dance at all because I didn't want to celebrate. We just talked to friends and milled around. While I felt Victor staring at me from across that room Eric, with hands at my waist, stood behind me glaring across the room at him, looking pretty much as if he wished he had his sword with him.

Thalia's eyes flitted almost imperceptibly toward Eric and back, then she said with a smile, "Evidently there has been quite a blood bath. His room is just a few doors away from ours. They said it happened before sunset."

I didn't say anything. I did, however, think about that faint ring around the drain in our shower. Rusty, like… blood. And really old vampires needed less resting time than younger vampires. Our entire floor was light safe. Something told me that Felipe was not going to be making a fuss. Part of me even wondered if he'd let Victor go knowing what would happen. Or maybe that Roberto. He'd told Victor in the elevator that he was done. And he was odd, when we were in Felipe's office, and Felipe told him to take me to his rooms. Roberto looked over at Eric and if I didn't know better, it seemed as if he was waiting to see what Eric wanted to do.

"Do you want me to do your hair again, Thalia? It looked very pretty yesterday." I asked. (Non sequitur, March 1, I thought to myself.)

She gave me a quizzical look but then agreed. I said I'd come to her room around 10:30 pm.

After they left, I looked at Eric. He raised his eyebrow as he regarded me with a cool expression. He wasn't saying, so I wasn't asking. But it was obvious.

I sat back on the couch and picked up my book, opening it to my bookmarked page.

"You've had quite a week," I said quietly, without looking up. I resumed my reading.

Eric just smiled.

Around 10 pm, Eric received a call from someone who I presumed had to be Niall. In a series of oblique one word replies ('yes', 'done', 'better') it seemed that he was apprising him of the status of things. He finished by saying 'I appreciate the gesture', which could only confirm to me that it was definitely Niall, since there was no way that Eric was going to find himself indebted to Niall by thanking him directly for the protection.

Once off the phone, he came and sat next to me on the couch. I went on reading for several minutes while he seemed lost in thought. Then suddenly he lifted me off the couch, into his lap and just held me. I pressed the bridge of my nose against his jaw. I just sighed and melted into him. I thought about his refusing to walk away and leave me there with Felipe the night before. I knew we would never speak of it... He wouldn't even chance leaving me to come back better prepared later. In that one moment he had silenced any questions I could ever have about his feelings.

We stayed like that for quite some time, without the need for words.


	7. Coda

**Coda**

_Earlier the same Saturday, 4:55 pm_

He stood looking down at her tenderly while she slept.

_The first thing to do, after things settle down when we get back, is to get her to agree to a formal bond. It really holds more weight. It's going to take work, to convince her it's 'safe'… but I can talk her into it. No big exchange. Just enough. Maybe I should offer to marry her and do it that way? She might go for that. But that might take even more convincing. She's still acting so unsure this will work. To her that might be a bigger commitment. She still doesn't understand the scope of being bound to each other like this. Although, if she would actually consider leaving Lousiana with me already... who knows… maybe she would say yes... I need to continue to make it plain that it _will_ work. As for the rest… I'll just continue to work on it. We've still got plenty of time. Which is good, since this entire trip was counterproductive. Fucking Madden. With the whores in the limo, the club shit… getting her so unnerved. And all the fucking politics. And de Castro… That I had not foreseen. He must be into some serious shit that he wanted her badly enough to try to bind her himself. Let him get some other telepath to fix his problems. It would have been ugly, but Roberto was the only one who could have been a serious risk. He has no great love of de Castro, though… What a fool de Castro has been to let him get so close so him. Even if I had to kill the four of them… I would have. And Roberto knows me well enough to know I would have. He really looked like he might have flipped. In fact, the way things look right now, I think Felipe's days are limited. And Madden having me restrained with that puny silver thing? At my age. It was laughable. But it could have been a mess. She could have been hurt… It would have been a world of trouble. A takeover I'm not even interested in, with a group of two or three here for support? No, it was worth it, even to have to deal with Niall, to have it play out this way. Exposing her to too much of this shit is just going to make it that much harder to convince her. But I _will_ convince her. If she doesn't go and do something totally fucking stupid like she did yesterday, that is, and get herself killed when I'm not around. With a third real exchange, no one is going to be able to screw it up. Even if someone else tried to turn her. She's mine. But I have to get her to stop doing the brave girl routine. Fucking Brigant family. So much fight in all of them. Even Claudine, according to Merlotte, in that Were thing, was tossing wolves around like nothing. It's just in her genes or blood or whatever you want to call it. All the more reason.. She will be magnificent. And this is an era that will work for her. She will never have to fend to survive. She will have it better even than Pam did. As long as I'm patient, she'll get there. It's the only reasonable solution. I see the way she looks at me. She will not leave me to walk alone in her absence. As long as she wants it, it will work. Sophie-Anne said they must really _want_ to be with you. Then they stay. She was so masterful at that… Andre and the Berts. They truly loved her… It will just take time. But I know all about time._

He picked up the wooden stake he'd carved with Thalia's knife, the bagged shavings and the handsome knife itself. And the keycard that Roberto had so thoughtfully provided him. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. 5:02 pm. A little over thirty minutes. That should work.

_It was bad enough that he went on touching her… but to have bitten her… to hurt my mate, my bonded partner? To have tasted her? Time to meet your fucking maker..._

_

* * *

_A/N- Be sure to check out the Pam POV, "Dead Set" that follows up on this point, set two weeks later, before you start madly PMing me about Eric's POV. ;)_  
_


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